At least four soldiers were killed and 17 more wounded when a Palestinian man drove a lorry into a group of Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem. Eyewitnesses say the lorry rammed into the troops at high speed and then reversed over the victims that it had already hit. The driver was shot dead following the incident. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker was inspired by ISIL although he gave no evidence to support the claim.

Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died at the age of 82 on Sunday after suffering a heart attack. Rafsanjani served as president from 1989 to 1997 and was a dominant figure in Iranian politics from the 1979 revolution right up until his death. He was often seen in the West as a “counterpoint to hardline conservatives,” according to the BBC, and CNN described him as “a conduit for better relations with the West.” He was a strong supporter of the recent nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers. It is unclear what effect his death will have in the coming presidential elections in May. Iran has declared three days of national mourning.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced on Sunday that it will launch an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) "anytime and anywhere." In a statement, the Foreign Ministry blamed the US for “for pushing the DPRK to have developed ICBM” as a means to cope with what it sees as an ever-growing threat of nuclear war from the US. Last year, the UN Security Council adopted two resolutions tightening sanctions on the DPRK in response to its nuclear and missile programs.

Authorities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are holding officials for dereliction of their duties following a terrorist attack that killed two people in Karakax county last month. On December 28, terrorists stormed the Karakax government compound in western Xinjiang and detonated self-made bombs, killing an official and a security guard. Three attackers were shot dead at the scene, Xinhua News Agency reported.  The Global Times newspaper reported that the removal of Karakax's Communist Party of China (CPC) chief and the secretary of the CPC's Khotan prefecture committee was an effort to enhance anti-terrorism efforts.

Iraqi government forces have reached the banks of the Tigris River, a significant landmark and strategic point in their battle to take the city of Mosul from ISIL. The Tigris River divides the city and elite Counter-Terrorism Forces have taken control of the eastern end of the southernmost bridge in Mosul. Iraqi troops launched the offensive to retake Mosul in October 2016 with the help of US-led coalition warplanes, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen.

Chen Jining, minister of environmental protection, said the ministry was evaluating 20 cities' emergency plans to deal with heavy air pollution. Meanwhile Cai Qi, deputy Party chief and acting mayor of Beijing, promised to take tougher action to improve the city's air quality. Xinhua News Agency quoted Cai saying, "Open-air barbecues, garbage incineration, biomass burning, dust from roads – these acts of non-compliance with regulations are actually the result of lax supervision.” The agency also reported that he plans to set up an “environmental police” force to enforce the regulations

A South Korean Buddhist monk is in a critical condition after setting himself on fire to protest the country's settlement with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves, officials said on Sunday. The 64-year-old monk is currently in hospital unconscious and unable to breathe on his own, with third-degree burns across his body and serious damage to vital organs. The monk set himself alight during a rally protesting the deal in which Japan pledged to fund a Seoul-based foundation to help support the victims in exchange for South Korea not criticizing Japan over the issue.

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” opened in China over the weekend with 31 million US dollars in box office receipts, driving the film’s total worldwide box office to 914.4 million US dollars. The Chinese opening easily made it the most successful film internationally over the weekend with “Assassin’s Creed” coming second selling 25 percent fewer tickets. “Rogue One” is now the eighth most successful film of all time and is predicted to rise up the charts as it continues its run in China and the rest of the world.